2011 Cabernet Sauvignon 3.0

TASTING NOTES

Plush and broad on the mouth, the 2011 Cabernet shows dark fruit, cassis, rose and warm minerals plus hints of smoke and cedar. Floral notes reappear on the finish which is long-lived. This is a savory wine with a vibrant tactile quality, aromatic intensity and intriguing weight and balance.

RATINGS

Stephen Tanzer, Vinous (Apr. 2017) - 92+ points
"Bright medium ruby. The aromas of blueberry, boysenberry, black cherry, black pepper, purple flowers and mocha display an intriguing liqueur-like topnote. Juicy, bright and penetrating, with a distinct vein of acidity running through it and contributing to the impression of sharp delineation. This youthfully imploded wine is leaner and drier than the 2010 or 2009 releases but stands out for the purity of its boysenberry, licorice and savory mineral flavors. Firm-edged tannins and a finishing note of menthol call for patience but the long finish is not hard. A big success for the vintage, this will merit an even higher score if it expands with time in the cellar."

Antonio Galloni, Vinous (Nov. 2013) - 95 points
"The 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate is another fabulous wine from Seavey. Intensely mineral, the 2011 is laced with ash, graphite, sweet tobacco and smoke nuances. The style is rich, intense and powerful, with gorgeous layers of flavor that continue to develop in the glass. The 2011 is textured and nuanced to the core. What a gorgeous wine this is."

VINEYARD NOTES

Seavey's 22nd vintage of estate Cabernet, the 2011, was made from grapes sourced from the steepest blocks at the very top of the vineyard--the blocks most exposed to sunlight and with well-drained soils. The 2011 vintage was challenging as it was marked by wet and cool weather that began in the winter and continued through mid-June, and then picked up again in mid-October. Our steep hillsides allowed us extended hang time and we harvested into early November, carefully handpicking our hillside blocks in sequential rolling harvests starting at the top and working down. Multiple small lots resulted that were then separately vinified and aged.
Production in 2011 was lower than usual, with only 400 cases of Seavey Cabernet produced.

PRODUCTION NOTES

Winemaking followed classic Bordeaux methods with whole-berry fermentation. In the cool of the early morning harvest, grapes were promptly de-stemmed and the berries were gently transferred into fermentation tanks. In order to carefully manage the tannins and resultant wine texture, our grapes are neither crushed nor run through a pump. Following fermentation, the wine was aged in French oak barrels (50% new) for 19 months before bottling in May 2013.